The Geelong Regional Football Committee (GRFC) is the governing body of soccer in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is a sub-committee of governing body Football Victoria.
 | |
| Abbreviation | Football Geelong, GRFC, GRFA |
|---|---|
| Formation | (1926 as Geelong and Western District Soccer Association) |
| Type | Regional Sporting Association |
| Legal status | Active |
| Location | |
Region served | Geelong, Australia |
Parent organisation | Football Victoria / Football Australia |
| Website | https://footballgeelong.com/ |
It was previously known as the Western Victoria Soccer Association, later becoming the Geelong Region Football Association (GRFA).
Local leagues
The GRFC organises local Geelong community competitions which consist of Miniroos & MiniTillies from ages 7 to 9 years plus Junior Divisions from ages 11 to 18. Member Clubs also contain Mens & Womens teams; both Senior and Reserve team.
Representative squads
GRFC's representative squads compete in the Annual tournament of the Country Championships, an annual Junior tournament established in 1978 by the Country Leagues Football Association (CLFA).
It attracts both male and female regional representative players aged 11 years to 17 years old, coaches, officials and spectators over 3 days of competition, to determine and crown State Champions.
The event takes place each year in June on the King's Birthday long weekend. Each year Geelong competes against teams from all over Regional Victoria including Bendigo, Shepparton, Moama-Echuca, Albury/Wodonga, Gippsland, Goulburn, Latrobe Valley, Swan Hill, South West Victoria and Sunraysia.
Current clubs
| Clubs | Est. | Home ground/Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Armstrong United FC | 2018 | Armstrong Creek Sporting Oval |
| Barwon Heads Soccer Club | 2008 | Barwon Heads Community Park |
| Barwon Soccer Club | 1992[1] | Grovedale Reserve |
| Bell Park Sport Club | 1959 | Bell Park Sports Club, Batesford |
| Bellarine Sharks AFC | 2004 | St Leonards Lake Reserve |
| Geelong City Football Club
(Formerly Breakwater Eagles) |
1964 | Howard Glover Reserve, East Geelong |
| Colac Otway Rovers AFC | 2010 | Beeac Recreation Reserve |
| Corio Bay Sports Club | 1986 | Evans Reserve, Norlane |
| Corio Soccer Club | 1955 | Hume Reserve, Bell Park |
| Deakin Ducks FC | 1978 | Deakin University Sports Precinct, Waurn Ponds |
| Drysdale Soccer Club | 2009 | Drysdale Recreation Reserve |
| FC Leopold | 2016 | Estuary Boulevard Recreation Reserve, Leopold |
| Geelong Galaxy United FC | 2016 | Hume Reserve, Bell Park |
| Geelong Rangers | 1955 | Myers Reserve, Bell Post Hill |
| Geelong SC | 1958 | Stead Park, Norlane |
| Golden Plains Soccer Club | 2012 | Bannockburn Recreation Precinct |
| Lara United | 1999 | Lara Recreation Reserve |
| North Geelong Warriors | 1967 | Elcho Park, Lara |
| Ocean Grove SC | 1996 | Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove |
| Surfcoast FC | 2001 | Banyul-warri Fields, Torquay |
Men's team ranking
As of 2024[update]
| Team | Division |
|---|---|
| North Geelong Warriors FC | Victoria Premier League 2 |
| Geelong SC | Victoria Premier League 2 |
| Corio Soccer Club | Victorian State League Division 1 North-West |
| Geelong Rangers | Victorian State League Division 2 North-West |
| Surf Coast | Victorian State League Division 4 West |
| Bell Park Sports Club | Victorian State League Division 4 West |
| Golden Plains Soccer Club | Victorian State League Division 4 West |
| Barwon Soccer Club | Victorian State League Division 4 West |
| Lara United FC | Victorian State League Division 5 West |
| Deakin Ducks Football Club | Victorian State League Division 5 West |
| Ocean Grove Soccer Club | Victorian State League Division 5 West |
| Geelong City Football Club
(formerly Breakwater Eagles) |
Geelong Division 1 |
| Armstrong Creek United | Geelong Division 1 |
| Drysdale S.C | Geelong Division 1 |
| Barwon Heads F.C. | Geelong Division 1 |
| FC Leopold | Geelong Division 2 |
| Bellarine Sharks | Geelong Division 2 |
| Corio Bay F.C. | Geelong Division 2 |
| Colac Otway Rovers F.C. | Geelong Division 3 |
Cup competition
The Geelong Community Cup is an annual pre-season soccer tournament held in the region since 1981.
Notable players
The following players have played football for GRFC clubs and have represented senior men's or women's national teams.
Francis Awaritefe - North Geelong Croatia (North Geelong Warriors)[2]- Steve Horvat - North Geelong Croatia (North Geelong Warriors)[3]
- Josip Skoko - North Geelong Warriors[4]
- Matthew Spiranovic - North Geelong Warriors[5]
- Kris Trajanovski - West Geelong SC (Geelong SC)[6]
- John Gardiner - Hamlyn Park Rangers (Geelong Rangers)[7]
Joey Didulica - North Geelong Warriors [8]
Frank Munro - Hamlyn Park Rangers (Geelong Rangers)[9]
Life members
Life members of either Geelong Region Football Association, Western Victoria Soccer Association, Football Federation Victoria that have served primarily in the region.
Former teams
 |
| Teams | Years active (if known) |
|---|---|
| Brintons SC | 1964-1991. Became Eastern Park in 1991.[17] |
| British | 1956 |
| Bellarine United | 1985 |
| Barwon City | |
| Belmont | 1967 |
| Corio Cloverdale | |
| DSG (Dutch Society Geelong)[18] | 1956 |
| East Geelong FC | 1985-93 (Merged with Geelong).[19] |
| Elcho Park Cardinals | |
| Geelong Espanol | |
| Geelong City[20] | 1914 |
| Geelong Celtic FC | 1950-1951[21] |
| Geelong Scottish | 1955. Became Hamlyn Rangers [21] |
| Geelong Olympic Sports Club[22] | 1984- |
| Geelong United | 1923-31, 1934 - 1936 |
| Geelong United | 1951 |
| Geelong United FC | 1977 - 1987 (Merged with Corio SC) |
| H.M.A.S. Brisbane[23] | |
| Ford Recreation[24] | |
| International Harvester FC[25] | 1950 -1953 [21] |
| Industrial Service Engineers Pty Ltd FC | |
| IAMA club (Italian Australian Migrants Association) | 1955 |
| Kardinia International College | |
| Lovely Banks Kiev | 1987 [21] |
| Northern Suburbs | 1979 |
| Norlane Olympia | 1955 [21] |
| Norlane Juliana[21] | |
| Shell[26][27] | 1953 |
| Toldi | |
| Union Jack[28] | |
| Queenscliff Garrison[29] | |
| West Geelong | 1965-1984. Became East Geelong [21] |
| Zagreb | 1958-1960 [21] |
Timeline of football in Geelong
|
- 1884. An exhibition match of by the Anglo-Australian Football Association is played between Carlton and Richmond club at Corio oval.[30][31]
- 1914. Geelong City club is formed. Their first match is played against the Naval College team (Osbourne house, North Geelong).[20][32][33]
- 1914. Geelong City play Fitzroy District, then play Yarraville at the Federal Woollen Mills ground in North Geelong. A match is arranged with Melbourne Thistle at Bakers Oval in Geelong West[34][35][36]
- 1920. 'Some two thousand people' watch a charity match on Monday, 26 April, 1920. It was played at Geelong Oval between a team from the crew from warship HMAS Platypus and the Victorian Amateur British Football Association team Windsor.[37]
- 1920. An Osborne House team plays just four games in the 1920 Victorian Soccer Football Association season and disbands shortly after.[38][39]
- 1923. Geelong United Soccer Club is formed at a meeting of 28 men at Belmont common. Elected were Mr A.D.Ive (president), Donaldson (vice-president), Drinnan (treasurer) and C. Busby (secretary) to lead a team of mostly Scots and Englishmen.[37][40][41]
- 1924. Geelong United plays its first league match against Melbourne Welsh at the Hope Street ground in Geelong West and participates in the Dockerty Cup but is eliminated in the first round.[42][43][44]
- 1926. The Geelong and District Soccer League is formed. There are seven teams: Geelong City, Ford Recreation Club, Valley Worsted Mills, Overseas Club, Queenscliff Garrison, HMAS Brisbane and North Geelong. Geelong United who were playing in the Melbourne competition are disbanded to get the league launched. The arrival of workers for Geelong's new industry increase the need for pitches - a battle that will continue for clubs across the region for the next century. [45] [46][47][48][49][50]
- 1926. The Madden Cup competition is established by William G. Madden (President of the Geelong and the Western District Football Association) who donates the cup trophy. Madden passes away in 1928. The cup runs to at least 1930. [51][52][53][54][55][56]
- 1926. The Caledonian Charity Shield competition is started.[57]
- 1927. New clubs Caledonians and Union Jack are formed.
- 1927. Players from various Geelong teams are selected for a Geelong association team to play a match against Preston Soccer Club on Easter Saturday at the Hope street ground in Geelong West.[58][59]
- 1929. Federal Woollen Mills and Geelong Wanderers enters the league.
- 1930/31. The Great Depression takes hold across Australia. Only four teams remain in the league in 1930, the league folds in 1931.[60]
- 1934. Geelong United is revived to play in the Melbourne metropolitan competition.
- 1949/50. The Geelong league is restarted with Geelong United, Geelong Celtic, International Harvester and Industrial Service Engineers play in the league. [61][62]
- 1950. The post world war II migrant boom is underway across Australia, large number of European migrants will grow and transform the game in Geelong over the next decade. [61]
- Dutch migrant workers form Shell A and Shell B teams during the construction of Shell's Geelong Oil Refinery (1951-54). [63][64]
- 1952. The Geelong 'International' Soccer club is founded by the Italian community and plays in blue and black vertical stripes. However it is later suspended by the Victorian Soccer Association for crowd trouble.[65] The club was then re-established with Fanny Borsari as president 'the first women to be president of a soccer club in Australia'. Fanny's husband Nino Borsari was president of Brunswick Juventus.[66][67] The club later became known as the IAMA club (Italian Australian Migrants Association) in 1954/1955.[68]
- 1955. The Geelong Scottish soccer club is formed by Bill Dorris (senior), John Barr and Bob Barclay at a meeting at the North Geelong Fire Station - Scottish would later to become Geelong Rangers.[69]
- 1956. The local Dutch newspaper De Nieuwe Wereld (The New World) sponsors a post-season lightning premiership competition named the 'New World Cup' open to Ballarat, Melbourne and Geelong teams that runs until 1960. From this event the German team would become Corio Soccer Club.[70]
- 1955/56. Corio Soccer club is formed by Norman Haigh, J. Hancock and Harry Pettig and made up of mostly German migrants from the defunct International Harvester team.[71]
- 1956. The Dutch influence on local football increases as Dutch teams now make up five of the eight teams in the Geelong competition.[72]
- In 1957 Footscray's Croatia club was brought to Geelong for a short period by Joe Radojevic when he took over as secretary of Croatia from Tony Durakovic.[61]
- By 1958 there were eight teams in the local Geelong League; British, Corio (German), Olympia 1 and 2 (Dutch), DSG (Dutch Society of Geelong), Ukrania, Scottish and Toldi (Hungarian).
- 1958. Geelong Macedonia Soccer Club is established, based out of Harold Hurst Reserve in Herne Hill - later known as Geelong SC.
- 1959. Bell Park Sports Club was founded by Frank Vanjek and Gino Tromba.
- In 1963 the newly formed Victorian Soccer Federation removed Geelong clubs from its Metropolitan competitions, consigning teams to the Ballarat and Geelong Districts Soccer Association in 1964.[61]
- 1964. Brintons Soccer Club formed.[73]
- 1964 and 1965. Bell Park are the undefeated champions.
- 1965. West Geelong, the second local Macedonian club was formed.[61]
- 1967. North Geelong Croatia is formed by Mirko Hrkač, Ivan Sesar, Vinko Radojević and Aldo Siketa.[74]
- 1975. Rangers move from their ground at Calvert Street Hamlyn Park to Myers Reserve. [9]
- 1977. North Geelong Croatia spend $12,000 to purchase land in Lara to establish a future home ground away from the shared facility of Hume reserve. The first league game at Elcho park comes nine years later in 1986 against Essendon City.[74]
- 1978. Deakin Ducks Football Club is a established.[75]
- 1981. Councillor Gerry Smith presided over the formation of The Association of Geelong Soccer Clubs. Aiming to create a National Soccer League team in Geelong.
- 1981. The Geelong Advertiser Cup competition is launched by Bill Walsh, Bob Kocsiki, Billy Dorris and Jim Lippelgoes. Bell Park beat Hamlyn Rangers 1-0 to take the silverware in the first year.[76]
- 1983/1984. Hamlyn Rangers go back to back - winning the Metropolitan League division four and division three the next season.[77][78]
- 1986. Corio Bay Sports Club (soccer and cricket) is formed.
- 1987. Corio SC merges with Geelong United.
- 1989/90/91. North Geelong win Division Two and then Division One of the State League.
- 1992. North Geelong coached by Branko Culina win the Victorian Premier League in its first year in the top flight of Victoria football.[79]
- 1992. Barwon Soccer club founded by Dave Rea.[1]
- 1996. Surfside Waves is founded - later renamed Ocean Grove Soccer Club.[80]
- 1999. Lara Soccer Club is founded by John Karounos and a group of dedicated volunteers.[81][82]
- 2001. Surf Coast FC is founded.[83]
- 2004. Bellarine Sharks A.F.C.is founded as the participation continues to grow rapidly across the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surfcoast.[84][85]
- 2008. Barwon Heads Soccer Club founded.[86]
- 2009. Drysdale Soccer Club is founded by Geoff Briggs.[87]
- 2011. The Bellarine Cup is started. The handicap event runs for at least three years.[88]
- 2012. Golden Plains Soccer Club is founded. [89]
- 2015. 21,289 fans watch Melbourne Victory play Perth Glory FC at Kardinia Park.[90]
- 2015. Pitch four at Hume reserve is converted into a water retention pond at a time when soccer participation for boys and girls surpassed all other sports across Australia.[91][92] Hume reserve was once a facility of six pitches that had been gradually reduced as land had been sold off for industrial development.
- 2016. Leopold FC is founded by Jared Larkins and Mitchell Vials.The club had over 100 registered players in its first season in 2017.[93]
- 2016. Geelong Galaxy United FC is formed as a joint venture of Greater Geelong Galaxy Girls and Surfcoast FC and are licensed to play as the only regional team in the new NPLW league from their home ground of Banyul-warri Fields Torquay. Vince Ierardo is head coach in their first season as Galaxy reach the grand final of the WNPL league losing to Calder United.[94][95][96][97][98]
- 2018. The first stage of the Drysdale Sporting Precinct is complete - Drysdale SC move in.[99]
- 2018. A $2 million FIFA standard synthetic pitch is opened at the Leisuretime Centre in Norlane.[100]
- 2018. Armstrong Creek United is founded by Michael Parker, Moses Machao and Gavin Walker.[101]
- 2022. Geelong Council purchase of the land and assets of Bell Park Sports Club club for $2.55 million, to ensure the club's survival.[102]
- 2023. Breakwater Eagles move to the vacated Howard Glover reserve in East Geelong from the privately owned facility at White Eagle House. Breakwater are the second club in two years to extricate itself from a private football facility in favour of a Council owned facility. [103]
- 2024. Breakwater Eagles change their name to Geelong City Football Club to better reflect their new home ground location.
See also
External links
References
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